Note: The information
contained on this page should in no way be interpreted as an endorsment
for taking drugs of any kind. Drugs are illeagal and dangerous.
No one should take drugs. SAY "NO!" TO DRUGS!!

The
Cali Cartel

The Cali Cartel
is probably the most publicized drug syndicate in recent times,
making a fictional appearance in the movie "Clear and Present
Danger", but the Cali Cartel is hardly a fictional group.
They are based out of Cali, Colombia, and are the largest Cocaine
cartel in the world. They are responsible for more than 60% of
the Cocaine being brought into America.

Below I have
broken down the cartel into different sub-sections so that you
can see how it is run.

The Boss.

(Above) One Of The
Cali Cartel's Main Bosses.

The Accounting Department.

(Above) The Cali Cartel's
Money Handlers.

The Shipping Department.

(Above) The Cali Cartel's
Elite Team Of Smugglers And Drug Runners.

The Mexican Contras.

The Mexican Contras are a smaller,
less publicised drug cartel run out of Mexico. The cartel is not
into cocaine, but rather deals in marijuana and some heroin.This
cartel has taken advantage of the close proximity of there country
to ours by running their drugs across the border.

(Above)The Leaders
Of The Mexican Contras.

(Above) The Managers
Of the Cartels Day to Day Business.

How The Drugs Get
To The U.S.

When drugs are not flown or
brought by boat into the country, they are taken through the border
from Mexico. Some believe it is easier to run the drugs over on
foot rather than taking there chances out on the ocean or in the
air. This map shows the paths that are used by the drug "runners".

(Above) This Shows
The Most Common Routes That Are Taken To Smuggle Drugs Into The
U.S.

A Word About the
Coca Leaf

The drug cocaine is modern
man's corruption of an ancient and useful product- the coca leaf.
Andean and Amazonian Indians have been chewing coca
leaves for thousands
of years to help them endure the effects of extreme altitude and
cold and to help give them endurance while working in the mines,
where the conditions can be quite harsh. It is only when truckloads
of coca leaves are synthesized into an amount of white powder
that would fit into a measuring cup that the effects of the coca
leaf become lethal. Imagine if one were to take an entire truckload
of coffee and synthesize all the caffeine contained in the coffee
into an amount of white powder that would fit into a measuring
cup. Wouldn't that amount of caffeine be lethal too?! Of course
it would. Cocaine is a dangerous product, and should not be used
by anyone. The coca leaf, however, in and of itself, is not dangerous,
and has been an integral part of South American Indian culture
for a very long time.

The Way It Works.

This section details the basic
breakdown of the cocaine operations into a 6 step process.

Step 1.

The Cali Cartel is involved with the drugs
from start to finish. The start of cocaine is from a coca plant
(like the ones below). The cartels will buy coca plants from local
growers in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Colombia so that they can
later refine it into the highely potent drug cocaine.

(Above) Your Common Variety Cocoa Plant,
Once Picked It Is Ready For Processing.

Step 2.

Once picked, the Cocoa plant is sold to members
of the cartel. The cartel members pick off the flowers and buds
of the plant and then mash and grind the plant into a thick mash
that is now ready to be marinated with different chemicals and
cooked into powdered cocaine.

(Above) The Grinding Of Cocoa Plants
So That It Can Be Refined Into Cocaine.

Step 3.

After the coca is ground the
cartel extracts the paste and takes it to a special hidden lab
that the cartel runs. If the local goverment finds the lab, sometimes
the
local armed forces can raid the lab and stop the drug production process before it begins.
At the lab the mash is cooked and combined with other chemicals,
poked, proded, and ultimately turned into a highely potent drug.

(Above) The White Powdery
Substance Above Is Refined Cocain.

Step 4.

After the cocaine is done being processed it
is then packaged into large bricks called "kilos" One
kilo is equal to 1,000 grams of cocaine, which can be sold for
as much as $15,000 here in the streets of the United States.

(Above) One Kilo Of
Cocaine That Is Ready For Transportation, And Eventualy Consumption.

Step 5.

After the cocaine is packaged
in kilos, it is boxed up and ready for shipping. The packaged
drugs are usually picked up from the cartel and taken to a dock
or an airport. The cartel pays people to smuggle the cocaine into
America, usually on a small pleasure boat, or in a private airplane
like the ones below.

(Above) Small Privately Owned
Vehicles Like These Are Used To Get Cocaine From Latin America
Into The U.S.

Step 6.

Once the packaged drugs are
on a boat or in a plane and headed to America there are two main
risks involved. The first risk is the high seas. However the biggest
risk of all is being boarded by a law enforcement agency like
the U.S. Coast Guard, or the U.S. Customs Agency. Once 200 nautical
miles off of U.S. shores, vessels are subject to boarding and
search by the United States.